Aggregates Manager

October 2013

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by Therese Dunphy, Editor-in-Chief
tdunphy@randallreilly.com
October 2013
Vol. 18, No. 10
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Editorial
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Editorial_AGRM1013.indd 3
WINNING THE BATTLE
of the Temporal Triad
A
t the American Road and Transportation Builders Association (ARTBA)
National Meeting, held Sept. 8-10 in Milwaukee, Fox News commentator
Jim Pinkerton outlined a strategy to build broad support for transportation
investment. Pinkerton, who has worked as a consultant for the organization for
the last year and a half, says that to successfully navigate Beltway politics, we must first
navigate the "temporal triad" of past, present, and future political struggles.
"There's a saying in Washington that, if you're not at the table making decisions, you're
on the menu," he says. "The issue is trying to create a narrative that compels people. It's a
question of strategy — developing compelling arguments."
Those compelling arguments are key to building coalitions, Pinkerton adds. Looking to
the past, he notes that numerous historical leaders, including James Madison, were strong
proponents of national infrastructure investment. In Federalist Paper #14, Madison wrote,
"The intercourse throughout the Union will be facilitated by new improvements. Roads will
everywhere be shortened,
and kept in better order;
accommodations for travelers
will be multiplied and
meliorated..."
Looking to the present,
Pinkerton says that
other nations have made
infrastructure a strategic
priority. He points to the
recent election of Tony
City skylines, such as London's, create national exuberance and pride,
Abbott as prime minister of
Pinkerton says.
Australia. Already dubbed
the "infrastructure prime minister," Abbott campaigned on the promise of $11 billion for
roads. Macau, China, which is six times the size of Las Vegas, boasts 17 million visitors a
year and generates $38 billion in annual gambling revenues that contribute to the national
economy. In England, the London skyline showcases a revitalized city that, while it hasn't
lost touch with its history, is hardly mired in it.
"City skylines define national exuberance and pride," Pinkerton says. "If people buy into
the vision of changing the world in a positive way, roads and bridges will follow. If people
make a political decision to want it, they'll get it."
Rather than focusing on a bunch of "nerdy studies," Pinkerton suggests that transportation
advocates create an inspiring vision of the future. "Ideas are always more powerful in politics,"
he says. "We have to make the connection to a strong and prosperous country. In politics, the
idea of a strong America trumps other goals and values.
"You've got to win the battle of the past and the future, and leverage the present. You have
to be part of the battle of ideas. You need a can-do coalition. You need to emphasize national
strength," he concludes. "In the feast of the future, you want to be a feaster, not a feastee."
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